1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method that adds members to instant messaging chat groups. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method that selects members to add to instant messaging chat groups based upon analysis of instant message content.
2. Description of the Related Art
Instant messaging has become a critical communications technology for many users and organizations. Instant messaging allows a user to create a “session” with one or more other users so that messages can be sent back and forth contemporaneously. The flow of messages in an instant message session creates a dialog between the user and other users with whom the user has established a session. In this manner, quick messages can be transmitted without sending an email message or telephoning the other user. Users can choose whether and when to respond to instant messages, much like an email message. However, unlike email messages, in instant messaging, a window is displayed on the user's display showing the messages between the user and another user.
A typical use of instant messaging is the ability to engage in “off-line” discussions during a telephone conference call. For example, in a negotiations conference call between two organizations, individuals within an organization can use instant messaging to ask each other questions and make other comments about topics being discussed in the conference call without having to remember such questions and comments and discuss them after the call has completed. Being able to have such “off-line” discussions enables the conference call participants to be better informed and more efficient so that more work is accomplished during the conference call and fewer “follow-up” calls are needed to resolve negotiation issues.
One challenge in using instant messaging, however, is the user's maintenance of his or her instant messaging groups. An instant messaging group is a group of instant messaging participants with a common theme. For example, if a user is involved in a project code-named “Phoenix,” he may add a instant messaging group to store participants of the group (e.g., naming the group “Phoenix”). When the user wants to communicate with all members of the Phoenix group using instant messaging, an instant messaging session can be opened with the Phoenix group and instant messaging messages entered by the user are sent to all members of the group that are currently active (e.g., logged on). One challenge in maintaining these groups is sometimes attributable to the fluid nature of groups and group participants. The user may be discussing the Phoenix project with a particular instant messaging participant and not realize that this particular instant messaging participant has not been added to the Phoenix instant messaging group. When the user subsequently sends a message to the Phoenix instant messaging group, he may erroneously assume that the particular participant received the instant messaging when, in fact, the participant did not receive the message because the participant was never added to the Phoenix group.